ELECTRELANE: ROCK IT TO THE MOON
Mr.Lady MRLR22 2001
http://www.electrelane.com/
The mood is set by the album cover: an abandoned carousel amidst the damp
and fug of Brighton beach, an empty coast, memories....
a dog barks in the distance, a farfisa hum drifts in, the motorik rhythm of
bass and drums click on, the guitar switches from low-key jangle to full-wash
feedback...
and it's perfect!
Electrelane are a four piece, mostly instrumental, all-female combo from the
UK, and a big thank you to the Misters Lady for bringing them to our shores.
Unlike most of their instrumental cohorts, and here I'm thinking Tortoise,
Fridge, Rothko - Electrelane really aren't post-rock at all, and therein lies
the difference:
They truly groooove. Kinda like Stereolab's "Jenny Ondioline" (ok,
Neu!'s "Hallo Gallo" smarty-pants), but replace any loungy Brian
Wilsonisms with let's say, Link Wray or James Williamson. Which means ROCK.
Not that they really play songs, mind you: tunes tend to meander to and fro,
a drone over here, a feedback wail over there - but the pieces do indeed travel,
tell a story, and take you places. Fucking groovy places. What I find truly
lovely about Electrelane is that they accomplish this arty-sounding (in print,
not in actuality) enterprise without guile or contrivance, which is a bit
of a relief in these all-too-clever musical times. The players are seemingly
egoless, all the instruments simply (and equally) in service to THE SOUND.
And a glorious sound it is (and fun too, honest!). I really can't recommend
this highly enough, especially for those whose sensibilities lean toward the
abstract. Electrelane are coming to the U.S. this fall to record their second
lp with Steve Albini in Chicago - sounds too good to be true, maybe we'll
be lucky enough to get a tour - Ladyfest perhaps.
-William Mohline